That author behind the soon-to-be-released The Tao of Influence: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leaders and Entrepreneurs recently offered a series of tips to help battle sadness and depression in the era of COVID-19, building on a recent TEDx Talk she gave on the subject that now has over a million views on YouTube.
“Science has proven that our thoughts manifest our reality, and most of us understand this on some level — yet the mind inherently resists changing the thoughts that make us fearful and depressed,” McGregor said in a press release, adding that the mind’s nature is to keep us safe at all costs.
That makes it difficult to ignore things that could be harmful to us — such as a world-wide pandemic, collapsing economies and other instances of bad news. Throw in social media and issues are expanded, greatly.
The key to breaking free, outside of ditching Twitter and Facebook?
Notice your most unwanted thoughts, says McGregor, let go of them, and choose to act without the fickleness, chaos, drama, and stories the mind wants to offer us.
And here are a few ideas to help you along the way:
Don’t resist or analyze your fear-based thoughts. Just let them go. Each time you have an anxious thought, complain or blame or judge, withdraw from life, or feel irritated with the global situation or an individual person, simply observe your fear-based thoughts.
“Don’t aim for only positive thoughts or become frustrated because your thoughts are negative,” says McGregor. “Do not make any of it mean anything about you or anyone else. Simply let the thoughts go. Resistance only creates more of what you don’t want. Let it go.”
Move your body to “reset” your mind. McGregor says the reason we get fixated on a thought is that we don’t have the discipline to move away from it, so moving your body makes this practice easier. As soon as you have the thought, reposition your body, get up, go and look at something completely different, and allow your thoughts to move on to another topic (your mind will follow your body if you let it).
Breathe. As you move, take full deep breaths and notice what is around you. Focus on something relatively neutral, like a favourite chair or plant. Continue to fill your body with breath, reminding yourself to be present to your breath, feeling it come in and out of your body. Imagine breathing in all the goodness of life and breathing out the process of letting go of thoughts and the stress that comes with those thoughts.
Eat living, plant-based foods. “The energy contained in living foods supports a joyful, calm being, while dead foods and/or excessive animal products and highly processed foods often contribute to feelings of sadness and irritation,” says McGregor. “When you grocery shop, try buying 80 per cent fruits and vegetables. When you eat out, try choosing meals that are veggie-forward (not hiding in some corner of the plate).”
Set yourself a 10-day challenge that solidifies your new calm and joyful state of being. It could look like this: No complaining for 10 days, and no blaming anyone or anything for 10 days. Replace the complaining and blaming with gratitude. Or try a healthy risk challenge: For ten days, step outside your comfort zone, lean into your intuition, and take risks that move your life and business in a positive direction. Journal each of the 10 days, reflecting on insights and lessons learned.
McGregor claims that by simply trying on these tips and tricks for size, you will soon come to enjoy and look forward to them on a daily basis.
“Ignore your mind if it wants to keep you safe in your old ways that are based in fear,” she said. “Simply acknowledge the thoughts that resist the above practices, knowing that the more you release and let go, the closer you are to true freedom from the traps that keep you in stress and unhappiness.”
